HANNA KNURR »» WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY Badgering...
Despite being in her fourth year on the UW campus, Hanna Knurr is in her first season competing for the women's cross country team. She ran with the Wisconsin Track Club last year and was noticed by UW coach Jim Stintzi while running at one of the Badgers' home meets during the indoor track season. Knurr joined the Badgers as a walk-on this fall and has been among UW's top four finishers in each meet this season.
How did you join the team and what was the transition like?
I got talked into joining the Wisconsin Track Club by a friend after winning a local road race my sophomore year. I trained and raced with the club for most of my junior year, which was a ton of fun. Eventually, they convinced me to talk to Coach Stintzi about walking on to the team and things worked out. The transition was really easy, the main difference is that running as a Badger is a lot more team oriented. I love the team, and running and training with them has allowed me to improve my race times immensly.
How did you get into running?
In high school I ran track and field and just kind of did cross country on the side. I hated distance running and actually went to the state meet for pole vault my senior year. I literally did almost every track event that wasn't considered distance. But since coming to college, I just found running to be a great way to de-stress from school and I've learned to love it.
As you look to the Big Ten championship, what's on your mind?
I'm really excited about Big Tens. We are coming into the meet under the radar, but if things line up right for us, we should be able to come out as one of the top teams. Personally, I'm shooting for a top-20 finish to help us get there. Our team has really great depth this season, and I'm just hoping that it all comes together on Sunday.
What have you gotten out of being a part of the athletics tradition here at UW?
It's been a huge source of pride for me. As a fourth-generation Badger, I have always had loyalty to UW, but as an athlete it goes even deeper. I am in a unique position where, only a year ago, I would have never dreamed of competing at this high of a level. Because of that, I feel like I am more aware of all the history and success that I am now a part of, and it's pretty incredible.
20 » VARSITY OCTOBER 27, 2011
